Fear of the dark.

by Maddison
(Los Angeles)

Hi my name is Maddison, im 15 and im terrified of the dark. It started when i was about 8 or 9 and i shared a bedroom with my sister. I started hearing every noise in the house and even when it was pitch black in my room i could still see shaddows. It got to the point where i would cry until someone heard me and came for me or id cry until my sister would let me sleep in her bed. After a while this faded away, the thought of knowing my sister was in the room with me settled my nervs and i would be able to sleep. Unfortunatly for me this fear came back after about 5 months and even the thought of my sister in the room with me didnt help me anymore. I moved into my own room when i was 13/14 and the fear got even worse. When im in my room in the dark it feels like something evil is always with me and watching over me. I have told my friends and family about this feeling but no one takes me seriously because it does sound kinda silly. If i try to sleep in the dark i have a feeling something is haging over me and it gets to the point where i have to sleep with a light/tv on or even both! When i sleep i have to have my tv on, i put my tv on a 45 min timer so when im asleep it will turn off. If i wake up in the middle of the night and im in the dark i will start to have a panic attack and forget i can turn the lights or tv on. Im getting quite fed up of no one taking me seriously and im thinking about going to see a therapist to see where this fear is coming from and how i can stop it. I also have a fear about closing my eyes in the shower, its not as bad as my fear of the dark.